Evaluating society's consciousness regarding the 'spiritualism of medicine' can help us better appreciate the 'economic vitality' of medicine itself.

This reference-composed 'soliloquy' was inspired by the Stephen King novel Thinner. I cite the King novel to give readers of this thread a better context regarding the images of medicinal prestige in society chatter.

I also cite this relevant/symbolic passage from the Bible's Book of Malachi, since it represents 'holistic healing' (at least arguably):

3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness" (Malachi 1:1-3, KJV).

Will modernism (and all its tech-conveniences) make medicine feel...mechanical?

What do you think?

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"The role of a doctor (or 'medicine-man') is to evaluate the course of a malady and understand the emotional impact of the patient's symptoms. Doctors who are better at communicating with patients create a better care-giving environment, which almost all patients appreciate. Those interested in a career in medicine are curious about the body's psychosomatic responses to a world with constantly-changing stimuli (e.g., traffic-heavy cities, stormy countryside in Scotland, a sorority-house with changing heat-insulation, etc., etc., etc.). This is because environmental pressures inform the body how to adapt to a given condition, and adaptation affects the body's immune system.

As we appreciate the complexity of civilization and the depth of social contracts that govern customs and norms of 'acceptable behavior' (e.g., sexual promiscuity), we come closer to understanding why medicine is considered to be 'spiritual' rather than 'philosophical.' That is to say, medicine is a choice patients take because they implicitly 'trust' that a doctor/care-giver understands that his/her practice/craft is one of friendship rather than patronage.

When I look at a neuropsychology text book about 'phantom-limb perceptions' following amputation or 'child-cranium depressions' relevant to surgical-procedure methodology, I think about all the muscles, tendons, and fibers of the human physiology that 'construct' our social consciousness regarding 'the ghosts of medical malpractice.' In other words, we create a sort of 'folk medicine' oral-tradition regarding the intelligibility of medicine itself (otherwise it would be challenging to convey to a patient that a doctor/care-giver is not there to make the patient feel...ignorant!).

Maladies and conditions that require very holistic approaches to healing/health and therefore can require multiple medicines in a 'treatment-course' (e.g., AIDS healthcare 'routines') inform our studies of the connectedness of the human physiological system's inter-connectedness (e.g., respiratory system's relationship to the circulatory system). As the world becomes more 'network-driven' (e.g., Facebook, eTrade, European Union, etc.), our medical practices must become more 'systems-oriented' (e.g., nutrition-consciousness, lifestyle-prudence, psychiatry-routines, etc.).

This is the explanation of the spiritual value of outlining the basic/general 'intellectual value' of medicine itself, and it's why we members of 'civilized society' appreciate 'paranoia-oriented discourses' about medicinal wisdom such as atmosphere-awareness films and TV programs (e.g., ER, The Doctor, Dying Young, etc.)."